Sports
Red cards approved for players covering mouths at World Cup
Apr 22, 2026; Morristown, New Jersey, USA; An MLS match ball is displayed during an event for the opening of the RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center. The complex has been selected as Brazil’s training home for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The International Football Association Board held a special meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday to approve a pair of FIFA-approved amendments to address inappropriate behavior ahead of this summer’s World Cup in North America
One new rule permit officials to issue red cards for any players who cover their mouth during a confrontation with an opponent or to any players who leave the field of play in protest of a decision made by a referee.
This change stems from a Champions League match when Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni said racially abusive comments directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior while pulling his jersey up over his mouth to hide what he was saying. Vinicius was visibly emotional after the confrontation, and Prestianni received a six-match ban from UEFA for the incident.
The International Football Association Board held a special meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday to approve a pair of FIFA-approved amendments to address inappropriate behavior ahead of this summer’s World Cup in North America
The other new amendment permit officials to issue red cards for any players who leave the field of play in protest of a decision made by a referee. It also applies to any team official who convinces his team’s players to leave the field in protest of a call.
IFAB said in its statement that all 48 teams competing in the World Cup will be informed of these amendments in the coming weeks.
The World Cup kicks off June 11 with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City.
–Field Level Media
Sports
J.B. Bickerstaff Is One Loss Away From Being Exposed as a Phony
The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is on the ropes against a team that was in the Play-In Tournament just a few weeks ago.
The Orlando Magic took a commanding 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Pistons were supposed to be the Belle of the ball this postseason after winning 60 games in the regular season.
But as Detroit basketball fans were reminded in the first round of last year’s postseason that playoff basketball is different. Last year, the sixth-seeded Pistons were defeated in six games against the New York Knicks in Round 1. It was a moral victory for the Pistons to be there, and valuable experience for blossoming guard Cade Cunningham.
Expectations are a dangerous thing in sports, and the Pistons surpassed all of them by claiming the No. 1 seed in the East. But that came with lofty expectations as well, like getting through the Magic in Round 1, which is proving to be a difficult task for the Pistons.
Offensively, Detroit is a nightmare.
Here are their team point totals for their first four games against Orlando: 101, 98, 105 and 88.
That’s a decent offensive output if Chuck Daly was on the sidelines.
But Pistons fans are learning the shortcomings of J.B. Bickerstaff, who is the frontrunner to win NBA Coach of the Year. In two seasons, Bickerstaff has turned a floundering organization into the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Over the last two years, the Pistons realized they have more than one superstar in Cunningham, as Jalen Duren and other contributors emerged for the top-seeded team in the East.
It’s similar to Bickerstaff’s time with the Cavaliers. He took over a floundering organization that couldn’t move on from head coach John Beilein fast enough. In sequential order, the Cavs were one of the worst teams in basketball, lost in the NBA Play-In Tournament, traded for Donovan Mitchell, got bounced in the first round against the Knicks before barely beating the Magic in Game 7 just to get eliminated in Round 2 for back-to-back seasons.
All of that in four seasons was enough for Bickerstaff to lose his voice within Cleveland’s locker room. If the Pistons are an easy out in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, could his seat already be heating up in Detroit?
Winning NBA Coach of the Year is a curse. In 2018, the Toronto Raptors fired head coach Dwane Casey before he was formally named NBA Coach of the Year after an early-postseason exit.
The Pistons likely wouldn’t want that to happen, and Bickerstaff should get another crack at this with a very young roster. But losing in Round 1 against the Magic? In a season when the Pistons were the No. 1 seed and one of the best stories in the NBA? At some point, it reflects poorly on the coach who constantly invents ways to underwhelm in the postseason.
Sports
Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich retiring June 1
Sep 3, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; University of Miami Athletic Director Dan Radakovich walks on the field prior to the game against Bethune Cookman Wildcats at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images University of Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich announced his retirement on Tuesday, effective June 1.
Radakovich, 67, has guided the Hurricanes’ athletic department since 2021 after previously working as the AD at Clemson (2012-21), Georgia Tech (2006-12) and American (2000-01).
“Dan came to us with an outstanding track record. I’ve enjoyed working with him as we’ve rebuilt and advanced Miami Athletics during an incredibly transformative time,” Miami president Joe Echevarria said. “Dan is a person of high character and has been an invaluable thought partner. I will continue to seek his advice and counsel going forward and wish him and his family all the best in what comes next.”
Radakovich was the senior associate AD at LSU from 2001-06. He began his career as an athletic business manager at Miami from 1983-85.
“Serving the University of Miami again has been an absolute privilege,” Radakovich said. “This place means everything to me, and I’m proud of what our student-athletes, coaches and staff have accomplished together. The program is in a great place, and it’s the right time for fresh leadership to shape what comes next.”
Highlights from his tenure in Coral Gables, Fla., include the football team’s run to the CFP championship game last season, the men’s basketball team’s first-ever Final Four in 2023 and the women’s basketball team’s first Elite Eight the same year.
The Miami athletic department matched a school record this past year with a graduation rate of 94%.
A national search for a successor is already underway. Deputy athletic directors Brian Baptiste and Rachelle Paul will serve as co-leaders of the department during the transition.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Jerome Tang to return to Baylor coaching staff
Feb 11, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang looks on during the first half against he Cincinnati Bearcats at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images Former Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang is returning to Baylor as the associate head coach, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
Tang reportedly was working with the university to finalize a multi-year contract to rejoin longtime coach Scott Drew’s staff.
Tang, 59, spent nearly two decades on the Bears’ coaching staff, including when Baylor won the national championship in 2021. He was an assistant coach from 2003-17 and associate head coach from 2017-22.
Tang replaced Bruce Weber as head coach at Kansas State in 2022, forging a 71-57 record in three-plus years at the helm. Tang directed the Wildcats to a No. 3 seed and an Elite Eight appearance in his first season, but he followed that with three straight sub-.500 records in Big 12 play.
He was fired with cause by Kansas State on Feb. 16, four days after going on a postgame rant after the Wildcats suffered a 91-62 loss to Cincinnati in front of a home crowd listed at 7,274 at the 13,500-seat Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., that included several students wearing paper bags over their heads.
“This was embarrassing. These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year,” Tang said after the game in which the Wildcats never led. “Like, I am embarrassed for the university. I am embarrassed for our fans, our student section. You know, it is just ridiculous.”
In announcing the firing days later, Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said, “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. … Basically, his comments about the student-athletes and the negative reaction to those comments from sources, both nationally and locally, is where it kind of felt like I needed to make the decision.”
Tang issued a statement at the time disagreeing with how the university characterized his firing.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” Tang said in a statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach. … I remain proud of what we built together and confident that I have always acted in the best interests of the university and our student-athletes.”
Drew and Baylor experienced their own struggles last season, finishing 6-12 in the Big 12 and missing the NCAA Tournament despite having at least two players expected to be picked in June’s NBA Draft.
The longest-tenured coach in the conference, Drew expressed empathy for Tang after his firing when Baylor lost 90-74 to Kansas State on Feb. 17.
“Nineteen years together, he’s family,” Drew said. “We won championships together. It’s been emotional for me, our staff and our program, because everyone can relate. If you’ve got a brother or a friend and they go through hardship, you feel it.”
–Field Level Media
J.B. Bickerstaff Is One Loss Away From Being Exposed as a Phony
Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich retiring June 1
